Trump won. Here are 3 Biden priorities under scrutiny
NPR Online NewsNov 08
Report: Elon Musk Joined Trump's Call with Zelenskyy
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Above: Elon Musk speaks during a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27, 2024 in New York City. Image copyright: Anna Moneymaker/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk joined this week's call between US Pres.-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a report in Axios on Friday.
Earlier in the week, hours after Trump's election win, Zelenskyy said he had an "excellent" call with the Republican, stating that the pair "agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation," but made no mention of Musk's participation.
The Spin
Narrative A
What was interesting about this call was that despite Trump's pledges to end the Ukraine war quickly, likely to the country's detriment, sources said that Zelenskyy did not leave the call with a feeling of despair. It's also interesting that Musk pledged to continue supporting Ukraine with Starlink despite his previously reported clashes with Zelenskyy.
Narrative B
Musk's participation in this call raises yet more questions about the role he might play in a Trump presidency. Previous reports suggested that Musk has been in regular contact with Russia's Vladimir Putin since 2022 and this raised significant national security concerns, particularly as his SpaceX firm has close contacts with NASA and gives him security clearance.
